More child molestation charges for Scotts Valley Unified School District employee

SCOTTS VALLEY -- A Scotts Valley Unified School District employee accused of child molestation was arrested Wednesday on more charges.

Santa Cruz County sheriff's detectives arrested Carl Benedict Guerin, 51, of Live Oak on suspicion of felony lewd acts with a child under 14 and misdemeanor indecent exposure.

These new charges come on top of Guerin's arrest last month on one felony count of lewd acts with a minor under 14, one felony count of lewd acts with a minor aged 14 or 15, one count of attempting to dissuade a witness and one misdemeanor count of child molestation. Guerin appeared in court on those charges on Feb. 1 but did not enter a plea.

A protective order was issued for the two victims at that time.

Last week, the Scotts Valley Unified School District placed Guerin on leave from his position as the district's director of technology in light of the January arrest, Superintendent Penny Weaver said. In his position at the district, Guerin did not supervise, teach or otherwise have access to children and investigators believe he was acquainted with his alleged victims in a nonschool capacity.

The ongoing investigation into the charges for which Guerin was arrested in January turned up evidence of additional acts of child molestation, sheriff's Sgt. Pat Dimick said in a release Wednesday.

Guerin was arrested Wednesday for allegedly committing multiple acts of inappropriately touching children that he knew and exposing himself to a child. These are new charges on top of the four charges he was already facing.

Guerin, who is not in custody, is scheduled to be arraigned on the first set of charges Friday and prosecutor Michael Gilman said he will likely move to consolidate the two cases.

Gilman said Wednesday he couldn't comment on the victims or circumstances in the new charges.

Guerin also has served as a foster parent, prosecutors said previously. Officials with the county's Human Services Department, which oversees licensing of foster parents, were not immediately available for comment Wednesday.